Sony is starting to send out PlayStation 5 consoles (and the accompanying controllers) to reviewers and influencers, including tech YouTuber Austin Evans. Evans published an initial video about the console’s ‘DualSense’ controller yesterday, which revealed an interesting detail for you smartphone gamers out there — the PS5 controller appears to work with Android.
Third-party controller support has historically been complicated on Android, at least when it comes to gamepads not intended for mobile use. The Xbox 360 controller has worked well for almost as long as Android has been around, but PS3 gamepads always required a third-party app. When the eighth generation of consoles rolled around, Bluetooth-based Xbox One gamepads had no problems connecting to Android (though button mapping wasn’t perfect until Android 9 Pie), and the PlayStation 4 controller generally works over Bluetooth or USB.
Austin Evans tried connecting Sony’s new DualSense Controller with his Pixel 5, and the process worked without a hitch. He later played a game over Xbox Game Streaming on the Pixel 5, but vibration wasn’t functional (which could be an issue with Xbox Game Streaming). It’s not clear if the touchpad works on Android, but the pad on the DualShock 4 does function on most Android devices.
It’s nice to know that PlayStation 5 owners will get to use the controller with other platforms, but a DualSense probably isn’t the best gamepad to buy outright for an Android device. Not only does it cost a whopping $70, but other options like the 8BitDo SN30 Pro or SteelSeries Stratus Duo will likely offer better compatibility.
